The Cypress Trees

Cypress Trees,Appearance of the Tree,Types of Cypress Trees...

Cypress Trees

The world's most famous Cypress treehugs the Pacific coastline. The Lone Cypress is an iconic natural treasure found along the 17-mile-Drive in Pebble Beach, California. Fortunately, you don't have to book a flight to the West Coast to catch a glimpse of stunning Cypress trees. With some basic tools and a little skill, you can decorate your own yard with one of the many types of Cypress that flourish in temperate conditions.

Appearance of the Tree

Its majestic appearance makes the Cypress tree a popular choice for ornamental landscaping. However, before you line your property with the attractive Cupressus species, it's important to note its main characteristics:

Shape: Varies among types. For example, the Monterey Cypress can grow up to 70 feet tall and features a wide, flat canopy which resembles an open umbrella. Meanwhile, the Arizona Cypress resembles a traditional Christmas tree and can reach heights of about 60 feet. Among the smallest of the species is the Gowen Cypress which rarely grows taller than 25 feet and looks more like a shrub than a full-grown tree.

Foliage: The Cypress foliage features different shades of green, from dark green to light bluish-green depending on the tree type. Its leaves range from fine needles to scaly overlapping hair-like appendages that look similar to braids attached to twigs.

Types of Cypress Trees

Cypress trees are coniferous evergreen trees that have foliage best described as scale-like. All types of cypress trees produce woody cones that contain their seeds. In the United States the handful of cypress tree species native to America all occur in the Far West. A related tree, the baldcypress, grows in the southeastern portion of the country and in Mexico.

Monterey Cypress

The Monterey cypress is a uniquely California cypress tree that occurs naturally in California’s Monterey Bay region. This cypress tree has very dark bluish-green foliage, and the cones can reach 1.5 inches across. The Monterey cypress achieves a maximum height of 70 feet but is normally much shorter. The scaly and ridged bark of this tree is dark brown to a lighter shade of gray. Due to the high winds that affect its growth, the Monterey cypress often finds itself misshapen, with older specimens having a flat and broad crown supported by strong branches. The Monterey cypress is popular as an ornamental tree and used for windbreaks.

Gowen Cypress

The cones of the Gowen cypress are less than an inch in diameter and the foliage is dark green. The tree features red-brown ridged bark, and the tallest Gowen cypress trees will reach 25 feet, with many examples looking more like large shrubs. Typically found in drier alkaline soil, the Gowen cypress grows along the coast of California.

Macnab Cypress

The Macnab cypress has foliage that is a light hue of green. The smallish cones, about half an inch wide, have hornlike projections on the scales that cover them. There is usually a purplish sheen to the red-brown bark of the Macnab cypress. While some can grow to 40 feet, the tree more often than not is shrublike in nature. The Macnab grows in Northern California while the very similar Modoc cypress exists a little further north into Oregon.

Arizona Cypress

The Arizona cypress, found mostly in Arizona but with some pockets of trees growing in Southern California and western Texas, has grayish-green foliage. Once the tree matures, the bark turns brown and fibrous. Some trees that have the benefit of good soil and protection from the wind can grow 60 feet tall. The crown of the Arizona cypress is dense with branches and foliage and shaped like a cone. It is popular as a Christmas and landscaping tree.

The Baldcypress

The baldcypress is the largest tree that grows east of the Mississippi River, with many over 120 feet. Technically this is not a type of cypress tree; its relatives are the redwoods and sequoias.